Imlisanen Jamir
“The World Cup shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be here. The corruption, regarding FIFA, you’ve got a country, the way they treat migrant workers, gay people.”
These are not the words of any activist or journalist but of football pundit and former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane, a person one would not ascribe such sentiments. When even 'hard-men' like him put such points across, people start to take notice.
Even as the Qatar World Cup takes hold of the world; as tears of joy and sadness are shed, it is not easy to ignore the social and political implications of this year's event. People say, enjoy the sport being played, ignore the politics. But that is easier said than done. The World Cup as like any other such major sporting event is a political event; and even more so in this year's event.
If sportswashing was once a novel concept, it now appears standard for major international events.
Diehard fans as well as human rights campaigners have complained that this looks more like a grubby hymn to money and power than a joyous celebration of the game – even if the drama and tension of the tournament will end up overwhelming many people’s qualms.
Defenders of the decision say that high-profile events can be leverage for improvements in human rights. Part of the problem is that wealthy but repressive states seem to feel they have the most to gain from hosting such events.
Attempts to deflect criticism only make it look worse. Fifa has told national teams that its job is not “handing out moral lessons” and that the game should not be “dragged into every ideological or political battle”. That rightly got short shrift. Ten European football associations – including those of England and Wales – replied that “human rights are universal and apply everywhere”.
The games will go on though. Attempts to raise points of concern will be shouted down as hypocrisy of a euro-centric perception of rights and freedom. Some may even argue that human rights discourse should be re-defined taking into consideration the different cultures of different places. But should such re-definitions be inclusive or exclusive?
Roy Keane put it best: “The bottom line is, we are talking about common decency, how you treat people. Football, the greatest sport in the world, there is so much money involved, there will be corruption but let’s get back to basics, you have to treat people with decency. It should start and finish with that.”
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